A number of important surface analytical tools rely on an understanding of the transmission of ions through solids. This research project, supported by the Analytical and Surface Chemistry Program, is designed to explore the fundamental scattering and charge transfer processes that influence ion transport through solids having different chemical and electronic properties. Electron stimulated desorption of ions from substrates overlayed with thin films of metal and metal oxide will be used to probe the transmission of ions through these layers. Ion angular distributions, yields, and ion charge exchange processes will be measured for a range of different thin film overlayers. The understanding obtained from these studies will impact surface analysis methodology as well as various material processing technologies using ions. The detailed interactions of ions with solid surfaces are the focus of this research project. Using electron stimulated desorption of ions through carefully controlled thin films of various materials, the fundamentals of the ion-solid interaction will be probed. This information will be useful for the development of surface analytical tools, and in the ion processing of solid surfaces.
